Star Names
The Sheep (ash-shat)
The Sheep is a dim star being slaughtered by the Auspice of the Slaughterer, one of the ten Auspicious Asterisms (as-su’ud). The Auspice of the Slaughterer is a pair of moderately-bright stars, one of which has a faint star very close to it that was called the Sheep.
The Sheep (ash-shat) as it appears setting in the west about 45 minutes before sunrise in early August. Sky simulations made with Stellarium.
Appearance
A dim star located next to the northern one of a pair of moderately-bright stars that comes after the Wasteland (al-balda).
Modern Identification
ν CAP (Alshat), blue-white star, magnitude 4.8
Timing
Ibn Qutayba (d. 879 CE) reported that the Auspice of the Slaughterer was said to rise on the morning of January 18 and set on the morning of July 18. On account of the precession of the equinoxes, today we can expect to observe the Sheep setting in early-August and rising in early February, as seen from the latitude of Tucson. (See How to Observe on the About page for more on this topic.)
Rain Stars
The Sheep does not figure in the calendar of the rains stars.
Lunar Stations
The Sheep is not one of the lunar stations, but in early listings of the lunar stations, the Auspice of the Slaughterer is the 24th station of the year. This was later changed to the 22nd lunar station after the stations were adjusted to begin with the vernal equinox.
Related Stars and Celestial Complexes
The Sheep is part of the Auspicious Asterisms (as-su’ud, السعود) folkloric celestial complex.
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